Lori and Declan the days after prom
by bluebutterfly2
Summary: the days after prom: what will happen to lori and declan?will they get back together?what about mark? mostly leclan. hope you enjoy it,let me know what you think :- AndraDee:Thank you for correcting my spelling/grammar mistakes:you rock xxx
1. Chapter 1

_I was talking on the phone to Hilary earlier. She gave me a hard time about Declan. How come all people turned out to be such supporters of a relationship between me and Declan? Even my dad suggested to choose him in the talk we had about Mark yesterday._

_I remember how he disapproved Declan and me the first time we went out together. I can literally hear my dads voice again, telling me that Declan was not "the person" for me and now he somehow is all Pro-Declan? Seriously does that make any sense?_

_I know that I always wanted him to be more open and honest,more caring and now when he finally is all I want is to ran away from him. Part of me still wants to be together with him, he is after all, the only guy I ever truely loved, but I have moved on, I changed and right now I can´t get back to the place we used to be. The talk we had tonight seemed like the break-up reloaded, but this time we changed positions, this time I was the one rejecting him... eventhough he would never admit it, I really hurt him. I guess I have never seen him so messed up before, he actually looked like he was about to cry. I felt so bad turning him down but I guess this time I have to do whats best for me...I spent the whole year wishing for a moment like that to happen. Two months ago I would have been the happiest person on the planet, if declan had given me that speech ...he has matured so much I´ll doubt that he ever accepted to be friends with a girl who turned him down or that he even cared enough about the feelings of a girl before, he became the perfect boyfriend and yet I can´t go backwards. I´m not saying that we are done for good, just that I came to terms with everything and that I need to find out who I really want to be and what to do with my life before dealing with the whole "find-the-right-boy-you-want-to-spend-the-rest-of-your-life-with" issue. Is this so hard to understand?I..._

Suddendly there was a knock on the door, and Lori couldn´t finish her thoughts. She threw a look at her clock ...She had been thinking for almost two hours..._How could ones life be so melo-dramatic_, she asked herself.. there was a knock on the door again...

"**Isn´t there any chance that one could have his privacy for more than five minutes**?" she moaned..."**Lori , come on open the door**" Josh seemed pretty anxious,so Lori dragged herself from her bed to the door to unlock it..

Just when she was about to turn the key Josh screamed again:"**For gods sake,Lori..."** The minute she saw her brothers face she knew something bad happened. Before she could even ask a question Josh took her hand and literally dragged her downstairs, to the living room.

It took her minute to realize that it was whole crowed: Andy sitting on the couch biting her nails, Jessy and the strange mother of hers standing a little bit away from the others looking out of the window, her father comforting her mother who was talking really fast to someone on the phone, Hilary keeping herself busy with serving glasses of water to everyone needing it or not and ...Declan, the last person she wanted to see this night...paving around like a fox looking for his wreath..she scanned the room more precisicely...Two person at least were missing...yet again her thinking got interupted, someone turned the television louder...before she even realized what the reporter said she noticed the building showing in the news...her school...

She tried to focus "**We are assuming right now that this isn´t just a prom-night vanishing, in which the missing person turns out to have spent the night drunken at her boyfriends place...so in case you have seen the 18 years old Amanda Bloom call 911.."** Amanda missing?Lori somehow felt the floor moving under her feet, before she could even fall down someone took her and placed her softly on the couch..

Without looking up she knew who it was. "**Whats happening?Where is Kyle?"** Lori asked shakingly. **"He just called, he is looking for Amanda with the guards. He left her alone in the entrance to get her purse; which she left inside and when he came back Amanda was gone. All he found was a ring looking familiar to the one he owned "** Declan responded

**"So, they took Amanda?"** She wasn´t able to have one straight thought, a few things came to her mind at the same time, yet she couldn´t quite focus.. So Amanda vanished, how on earth could they explain their assumptions to the police without giving Kyles and Jessy´s real identities away?

**"How come she is already on the news? I thought that you have to be at least missing for 24 hours before they even start looking for someone?"** Lori asks puzzled.

**"Beloved sister,seeing that watching cis and whatsoever taught you a lot, you are missing the tiny fact that we are talking about Amanda, daughter to Carol Bloom. I´m quite surprised that she didn´t call for international help yet"** **"Josh Trager, that was a really rude thing to say, how would you react if your child would get lost? Right now I´m having great expectations for our future family, seeing how caring you are"** Andy gave her boyfriend a sour look, as much as she loved Josh he sometimes clearly was a jerk.

**"So I talked to the guards and they suggested to form search-teams so that we can do something,so lets team up and guys no one will walk around alone, got that?"** Nicole threw a knowing look to her son and her daughters on-off boyfriend, the past had indeed taught her something.

**" Lets see, I suppose we should double..."** "**Sarah and I will team up"**Jessy interferred. "**I have a feeling that we might find something together" "Good, we´ll need someone staying here, guarding the phone in case something happens" **

**"I´ll do that**"; Hilary suggested, "**You know I really want to find Amanda, but night time outdoor activities, missing wild partying, kind of freaks me out!"**

"**Thank you,Hilary,so lets see, Andy, Josh I know you guys are all in for looking for Amanda, but I suggest you to come with me and Stephen, not that I don´t trust you guys, but its safer**"

"**So you basically say that you want me to be save and yet you let your own daughter rush into woods with no one taking care of her, to look out for people who might kidnapped Amanda?I always knew that you prefer me..."**

**"Josh cut it down"** Stephen knew that his son always started to mumble nonsense when something freaked him out, but this time every Joke made was just another Minute wasted in which they could try to save Amanda.**"Besides Lori has someone to take care of her" **There it was again, Stephen standing up for Declan, weird how things turned out, Lori thought "**Declan would never let something bad happen to Lori, so lets get ready and head out here!"**

**"Where shall we search next?"** Declan asked Lori. She was caught up in her thoughts so that she barely spoke to Declan while looking for Amanda. **"I don´t know, you are the one who has been close to the mystery around Kyle, so spill the beans" "I know this might sound strange and I guess that Kyle has been on to it too, but I suggesst we should drive to the Place in the woods we went to after you have been beaten up...it has to be somewhat connected to all it. Maybe we find a clue there, leading the way to Amanda"**

Without looking into Loris face, he knew she was afraid. She was the one he had that special bond with,as much as she got him, he got her,too. Lori was the only one ever coming so close to him, knowing him the best and he somehow could sense how Lori felt. He wanted to take her hand, comfort her, tell her that everything would turn out right and yet he couldn´t. She implied that she wanted them to be friends. No more." **Or we could try to find Tom Foss or Adam" he suggested. He felt Lori relaxing next to him. "I´m going to phone Kyle to see if something important has happend"** he said, taking out his cell phone **"Damn it, it broke down**" **"Never mind, take mine"** Declan took the mobile phone out of Loris Hand, slightly touching her skin. Dealing the number he couldn´t quite focus on the whole Amanda issue, he knew that he shouldn´t be so distracted but he still was a heartbroken person and as girly as it might sounded he wanted to cuddle up in his pillows instead of walking around with the girl who just rejected him. **"Kyle, its me"** Minutes of silence followed, shortly interupted by Declan responding to whatever Kyle said.

It seemed like ages until he finally cut down the line to hand the cell phone back to Lori.

**"Kyle is with Adam, he came back to help Kyle, Lori, they got a phone call from the one who kidnapped Amanda, they are going after Kyle "** Without a word he took her into his arms. She was, after all, one of his best friends and she needed a hug. **"So whats he doing now?"**It took her three times to finally say those words; because she could already assume the answer.

They were all sitting in the living room, starring at the phone..desperately in need for some news..Kyle had told them all to stay out of this mess, and as much as they tried to convince him to take them with him; they couldn´t change his mind.He didn´t tell them where he´d go to or what he´d do there so they were all left waiting for the phone to ring. Yet he was at least surrounded by Jessy,Adam and Sarah, trust-worthy persons and Kyle somehow always managed to escape the biggest crisis..hopefully this time,too.

Back in Loris Room she changed into more comfort-clothes...yet she knew that she would get no sleep in that night and probably not in the following ones as well, so she tried to relax a little.

There was a knock on her door again, Lori begged that whoever was in front of her door was not waiting with bad news. She slowly opened the door to see Declan standing in front of her, his hands in his pockets, looking like a complete mess. She knew that he would rather be at Kyles side and that being here,doing nothing, made him anxious and restless more than any other person in Trager household right now. **"Can I come in?"** he asked. She just stepped away allowing Declan entering the room. They silently sat down on Loris bed, both worrying how things would turn out. **"I couldn´t stand sitting there starring at the phone. I can´t help myself imagine what Kyle and the others are going through. I should be there for him.."** **"Declan, you know what he said..there is a reason why he wanted you stay out of this...this might be more dangerous than everthing that has ever happened. I know you feel uncomfortable sitting here but still he does not want you to get hurt..or worse" She couldn´t dare to finish this thought. "Declan, you are his best friend. The only person he ever trusted with his secret, you risked a lot to help him, so stop worrying Kyle will be fine and so will the others." **There was a reason why Declan did not want to give up on Lori, she has the ability to say the right things at the right moment, no one ever touched his heart the way Lori did. Sitting here with her was how he wanted to spend the rest of his life.

She felt comfortable,warm and save. When she woke up he had his arms around her. They both fell asleep while waiting. Him being so close to her reminded her of the great days they had together...She watched him smiling in his sleep...She said that she didn´t want to get back together with him and yet she wasn´t so sure anymore. The buzzing of her cellphone interupted her thoughts, Declan woke up, obviously embarrassed by the way the had linked arms with Lori. Lori jumped out of her bed and answered her phone...When she realized who was on the phone she turned her back to Declan...One time you are asking yourself whether you made the right decision,next time fate brings you back to reality. There has been a reason why she rejected Declan, it was not that she didn´t love him anymore, but more that the she somehow developed feelings for her fathers TA, yet she would never admit it to herself. And there he was on her phone, asking how she was as he had heard about Amanda. He continued asking Lori if he should pick up her to distract her a little. Lori threw a look to Declan,who waited suspicious on her bed, He knew who Lori was talking to and by the look on his face you could see that he indeed figured out how Lori felt about Mark.

**"Oh come on, Declan, we both know who Lori has the hots for"** Hilary felt bad seeing one of her best friends so screwed. She had found Declan sitting on a bench in the garden staring at the sky and something inside her told her that some Hilary-device was approved. She always had a big heart and she was probably the greatest leclan shipper ever and she couldn´t really understand how two people who obviously belonged together could have such bad timing.. She sat down next to Declan stroking his arm..She was indeed convinced that Lori was in one of her phases and would eventually come back to her senses and back to Declan, but she also knew Lori good enough to say that there was definately something going on between her and Marc... **"Yeah, Hilary right, thats why she took of with that geek an hour ago.Lets face reality: I messed it up. Again"**

They were walking down the park both with an ice-cream in their hands. She needed to get out of the house away from all the people restless walking around. She could not concentrate anymore, as she was so worried about Kyle and Amanda. It has been more than 24 hours they last heard from them and she already reckoned that something bad happened to them...She desperately needed something to take off her mind a little,so she turned around to face Mark.Before she could even make the attempt to say something he linked eyes with her and opened his mouth like he was about to say something but couldn´t for some reason.

They stood there in complete silence until Mark finally started to talk.

**"So who would have guessed that prom-night would turn out to be so dramatic?"**he asked,

**"I mean not just the thing with Amanda...but...well. I´m that guy who likes to hide behind his facade of sarcasm,but I bet you already know that since you are the queen of cynic, so I need to tell you something!"** Lori stood there waiting for him to continue, her stomach was suddendly filled with butterflies. **"Lori,I guess now its time to tell you the truth, don´t get me wrong about that, I like you,I really do so please keep that in mind while listening to me"**

Uhh, that clearly wasn´t the speech she imagined to hear. "**I know where Amanda is hidden"**

**"I beg you pardon, you are walking around with me for almost 2 hours and now you feel the need to let that important thing just slip out like its some uninteresting topic as the weather?"**

She made a mental note telling that she should book some time with Nicole, not as her mother,but as a psychiatrist this time as she always regarded guys as interesting who turned out to have some serious mental problem. She turned around, willing to run away from him,when Mark grabbed her arm: **"Lori, please listen to me, I didn´t know that they planned on kidnapping Amanda, all I knew was that they were interested in Kyle" "So great, you care about Amanda but you would approve that they do harm to my brother?" **

**"For gods sake,you should really start to be more patient. I was about to say that I was in charge of keeping an eye on you Tragers and your friends. We are on the good side, nothing will happen to either Amanda or Kyle. There are a few people out there who want Kyle and Jessi no matter what price to pay so we decided it was about time to show up...Amanda will turn up on the stairs of her house within the next two days, we already have our people on the police so that they will have bullet-proofed version where she had been. Kyle will remain where is, so that it looks like that they replaced Amanda with Kyle. Ergo whoever really is after Kyle will believe that some one else took him. It will also look like Sarah took Jessy out of town so that should made them less careful and we may finally have the chance to get on those people."**

Lori was literally speechless


	2. Chapter 2

Back at the Tragers' everything was still kind of chaotic. Everyone was exhausted, yet they were unable to force themselves to relax. Nicole had already checked three times if the telephone was working while the others sat on the couch in silence, deep in thoughts. Hilary took off home; Josh held Andy close in his arms; and Declan and Stephen simultaneously stared out of the window, scanning the streets for a miracle.

Stephen had indeed noticed that one family member wasn't around. He hoped that Lori had taken his warning seriously in the hours before prom. He did not want her to get involved with his TA in any way. Mark worked for him, wasn't even the same age as Lori, and no, he just did not want it. He threw a look at Declan. As much as Stephen didn't like him the first time Lori introduced him, Declan had grown on him. He had been a best friend for Kyle and Stephen could only imagine what kind of a burden that boy had carried around when no one else had known about Kyle's real identity. If Stephen were ever asked about whom he pictured Lori with, he clearly would have had just one answer to that.

She felt betrayed and...used. That moment she realized what she had tried to deny the whole time: she indeed had feelings for Mark, but all the attention he paid to her was fake. She couldn't decide what pissed her the most: Mark being involved with the people who took Kyle, or him using her to get closer to the family. She didn? want to cry now, yet she couldn't stop the tears. When Declan broke up with her at that glorious bonfire she had not just revirginized, but she had also decided that she would never cry about a boy again. She reminded herself to be strong...

After Mark's speech she had immediately run away and since then she was walking around the streets, no real plan about where to go to. All she wanted was to clear her mind.

Lori, keep in mind that I really like you. She tried to forget about that line. He was a betrayer and she shouldn't have trusted him in the first place. He took Amanda and Kyle... She knew why she had fallen for Mark: he paid attention to her, really listened ...just like Declan always did. "Shut up, shut up!" she thought to herself. "Lori Trager, how come you always see a connection to Declan? It's clearly messy enough without him in the picture..." And then she bumped into him. She had not really paid attention to where she was going nor did she even notice the people passing her by.

He had decided to take off since he needed to clear his mind. He started to walk down the streets, thinking about the last 24 hours. He felt guilty for being so wrapped up in his own problems that he missed the chance, yet again, to stand and fight beside his best friend. He didn't notice the girl coming down the road. He still wasn't aware of her presence until he accidentally ran into her.

"Ouch!" he didn't need a second glimpse to know whom he ran into.

"Lori," he started, surprised to see her there, alone, looking messy and not with Mark, who she was supposed to be with.

"You gotta be kidding me," was the first thing that came to her mind when she looked up and saw that it was Declan who blocked her way. How come he always showed up when she least wanted it? Was there someone out there who actually enjoyed the Lori Trager soap opera so much that whenever she thought life was getting the best of her, they felt the need to add some new crappy thing to it just to make it worse?

"Lori! Lori?!" Now he was really worried. Lori didn? respond to him. She just stood there, staring. He didn't even know if she was really looking at him. She seemed absent, as if her mind was somewhere else. She looked scared and was clearly in shock. He took her by the shoulders softly when she...

She felt shaky and lost. With Declan's appearance something inside her broke down. She tried to focus but her mind and body refused to work together. She seemed to have lost control of herself. The last thing she realised was Declan taking her into his arms before everything went black.

He didn't know what to do. Luckily he grabbed her before she could fall down onto the street. He tried to wake her up but she showed no reaction. He was scared as hell when a landrover stopped next to him and a boy with dark hair and glasses jumped out of it. Mark helped him to drag Lori into the car. As much as Declan disapproved of him, he was happy to get some help with Lori.

"What happened to her?" it took him a minute to respond to that. They had taken Lori home and she was asleep now in her room. The doctor had just rushed off, telling everyone that Lori would be fine. "I don't know. I bumped into her and before she even said anything, she passed out!" Declan was deeply anxious about what Lori had seen that would cause her to be in such a state. He knew Lori was a strong person and whatever happened to her must have been really shocking. It reminded him of the time Lori had been beaten up. He had failed again. Back then he had promised himself that he would never let anything like that happen to her again. And now she was lying in her bedroom and all he wanted was to cuddle up with her in that bed and protect her from the outside world.

He somehow found himself alone in the kitchen with Mark. He shot a look at him, catching Mark's eye. "So are you and Lori." he heard Mark say. There were a million words to finish that question, yet he knew that there were just three things that were fitting at that moment: a couple? Lifelong lovers? Soulmates? "Friends," he said. As much as it hurt him to admit that, it was the truth. There had definitely been a moment between him and Lori in the morning, but hearing her talking to Mark on the phone earlier had brought him back to reality. Mark somehow seemed to be pleased with that answer. Declan couldn't help himself; he was jealous.

Watching Lori sleeping made him sad. He slightly stroked her head begging for her to wake up. The doctor had said that she was in pretty deep shock and that it could take hours for her to wake up, because the body had to recover first from whatever made her pass out. Declan sat down next to her bed, and had rested his hand on her arm when she made a move and placed her hand on his. He looked up, to see that she was still asleep. He smiled when he saw the framed picture standing on the cupboard next to her bed. It was the one she had wrapped up the other day in the car when the two of them were putting their past behind them. He remembered that Nicole made a copy for Lori and him shortly after it had been taken. It was of him and Lori wrapping their arms around each other. He was glad that she had not destroyed everything after their break up, and took it as a good sign that the photo had reappeared on her cupboard.

When Lori woke up she expected to see Declan sitting next to her bed. She opened her eyes ready to thank him for taking her home.but it wasn't Declan who was looking at her. She tried to scream but again her body wouldn't react in the way she wanted it to. Her heart began to beat really fast. This had to be a nightmare. Why on earth was he in her room?

"Lori, look, let me explain!" She didn't want to hear any excuses, nor did she want to listen to him ever again. Before she could even make the attempt to start talking, the look on Mark's face sidetracked her. She expected to see guilt, but there was something else.he looked sad. But why on earth would he be sad? She tried to give him a go, a last chance to explain everything. She tried to get rid of her habit of judging people before hearing what they actually had to say.

"Lori, I know I have hurt you," Mark said. "I know that there's no way I could ever repay you for what I did, but I'm not evil, or a habitual liar. It was my job to get close to you. But my behaviour around you was no pretence, and every conversation we had wasn't fake. I swear I did not want this to happen. But the more I got involved with you, the more I actually enjoyed my "job". I liked being around you, us teasing each other. I even have to smile every time I think about you...and, Lori, believe me, we didn't want to do any harm. So please try to forgive me...!" All she could do was stare at him. The way he talked and looked convinced her that he was telling the truth. He actually liked her, and again butterflies filled her stomach, which irritated her at the same time. How could she jump from Declan to Mark, Mark to Declan, and back to Mark within a few hours? "I believe you," she sighed. She knew she had to make a decission. "But you have to promise me that you'll tell my parents and the others the truth, the whole truth. They deserve to know!"

That would give her time to sort out the chaos in her head. Part of her desperately wanted to go back to Declan, the love of her life, but there was also a part wanting to get closer to Mark. And concerning the speeches she had heard on prom night, and the one from Mark earlier, she knew that no matter which choice she made, one person would be left behind, disappointed.

"...That's all for now. I know that I betrayed you and I do feel sorry for that...And I would not complain if you decide that you never want to see me again!" Declan heard and noticed that Lori took Mark's hand to approach him. He just didn't get it. This guy was the reason why they had been terrified for the last few hours and now Lori was trying to comfort him? Jealousy indeed was a feeling Declan just had to get used to. "I appreciate your honesty, Mark," he heard Stephen say. "And right now, all that counts is that Amanda and Kyle are safe!" "Great! lets just give him a hug and thank him that he took part in kidnapping Kyle!" Declan couldn't understand how everyone could forgive Mark that easily. He needed to get out of here. He didn't look back when he went through the front door.

"Declan, wait!" he heard someone calling his name and turned around to see Amanda running towards him. He took her into his arms, relieved that she was ok. "I just came home and I figured that this might be the last chance to talk to you before I go in to face my mother.and have to spend hours explaining to her, or the police, where I have been." Then she whispered, "I just want you to know that Kyle is safe. And so is Jessi. I promised to give you this." She handed him a grey envelope, "He wrote down everything you need to know. He actually predicted that you'd be anxious and angry when I found you...Declan, seriously there is nothing to worry about, but if you want to, I could try to meet up with you later, so that we can talk. Even though I doubt there will be any chance of me seeing daylight again anytime soon.my mom probably won't let me be alone for two seconds now."

"Amanda," Declan started. "How come you are OK about that? I mean, I assume you already know the whole truth...and yet you are not even a little bit scared?"

"Look, Kyle and I had a really long talk and now that I understand everything that has happened, I'm actually pleased to be part of the 'inner circle'. Knowing this stuff is creepy in a way, but it doesn't change the way I feel about Kyle."

Back in her room, Lori sat on her bed thinking again. She clearly was overtaxed, exhausted and in need of some good advice, when suddenly the door opened and Andy sat down on her bed. Since Lori had helped her out with her make-up for prom and the talk they had during that, she liked Andy even more than she had before. She was pleased that her brother had found someone so reliable and down-to-earth, and that he hadn't hooked up with one of those brainless chicks he used to go after. Andy made herself comfortable on the bed next to her. One thing she really liked about Andy was that she never forced somebody to open up; she just gave the message of being there for someone without necessarily talking and analysing everything. They sat there in silence until Lori was finally ready to tell Andy what was bothering her.

"...and right now I'm just torn between two guys. Hello boy drama yet again..." Lori said with a pained expression.  
"This might sound strange, and I'm probably not as good as Hillary at giving boy advice, but I suggest that you do what's best for you - even if you feel the need to freak out a little. There's no point in not trying out...for God's sake, Lori, you are just a high school girl, not 30 or something!" Lori gave Andy a look. She was pleased that Andy hadn't turned out to be a full-hearted Leclan shipper. "See, I'm totally convinced that you should let yourself go a little, don't brood that much. Life is too short! And believe me, if somebody knows about cherishing every minute of life, it's me. So, Lori Trager, I do believe that you will make the right decision in the end. So good luck with that!" She gave Lori a hug and let her alone with her thoughts.

_Right now the best thing for me to do is to stay hidden. I don't want you guys to get hurt because of me. I promise to catch up with you within the next few days. I even convinced Adam that we should try to set up a meeting with you soon. Declan, remember that you are my best friend and that I would not lie to you if something bad is going on!"_ Declan didn't know what to think of that. He knew Kyle wouldn't lie to him again, and yet it was frustrating to be left behind. He continued reading. "_I don't want you to sit around all day, brooding and feeling guilty, because I know that's what you will probably do!"_ Huh! Kyle seemed to know him quite well_!" Back to business: I know something has happened between you and Lori at prom and I feel sorry for not being there for you right now. So the least I can do, is give you the advice to wait. Declan, be a friend to her. I never told you this, but according to the brother/sister talks that Lori and I sometimes have, I can tell that you should not give up on her. That's all I can say for now, as I don't want to betray Lori in any way. So, bro, (see, I can say it too) take care. I'll get back to you as soon as possible. And please do me a favour and keep an eye on the Tragers, and especially Amanda, for me. K. PS: Jessi says hi, plus I promised her I'd tell you that she would kick your ass if you don't do what's best for you...whatever that means."_

That actually made Declan smile. The last time he saw Jessi she was dropping Amanda's dress by the gym. As Jessi was leaving they had a talk about the strange "relationship" they once had, and how Jessi had always known that his heart deep down belonged to someone else. Jessi was creepy, but he couldn't help himself from actually liking her. He considered how much she had changed since then.

Andy had given Lori a lot to think about. She was right; she should let herself go a little. She jumped out of her bed, grabbed her jacket and took her car keys. On her way down she ran into her father. "Lori, can I have a word with you?" Lord, that didn't sound good. She ran through her mind, trying to think about what she could have done wrong, but couldn't find anything.she had been an angel lately! Stephen gave her an uncomfortable look. "I have noticed the little bonding going on between you and Mark." Oh no, not that talk again. "Dad I appreciate your concern but it's really not your business!"

"Lori, he is too old for you!" "He is just 19 and besides, what makes you think that I have fallen for him?"

"I'm not telling you that you are not allowed to see him again, I just want you to be careful. And please try not to hurt Declan's feelings. He is a good guy, he doesn't deserve that!" Does not deserve that? Where has her father been for the past year? Yeah, well, he actually made a point that Declan had made good progress, but had he somehow forgotten the way he had treated her after their break up and even before? "Thanks dad, I'll do what's best for me. But I need to live my own life, make my own choices, even if they turn out to be bad ones!"

She left him with those words, jumped in the car to find the person she was looking for. She met him at The Rack, stumbled to his table, calm, convincing herself that this was the right thing to do. "We need to talk" she said, turning around, walking out of the bar onto the street. He followed her suspicious and asked himself what she was up to.

"Look", she tried avoid eye contact, "I'm so not into any drama and what I'm going to say now is not really typical for me.but I just want you to know that I do like you, too. But.Yes, there is a but.I'm pretty sure that I like Declan as well...so I don't feel that a relationship..." She wasn't able to continue as Mark grabbed her hand pulling her closer to him. Before she could even make the attempt to stop him he kissed her. "...does make sense." She finished the sentence in her head.

Declan had arranged to meet Amanda, Josh and Andy at The Rack. Amanda's mother had been so happy to have her daughter back that she even allowed her to meet up with her friends. The only condition was that she would give her a lift to The Rack and that she would pick her up afterwards. Amanda was eager to agree to that condition as long as she was allowed to go outside. He walked down the roads when he saw two people standing in front of The Rack making out. He noticed the girl straight away and his heart broke into thousand pieces. He turned around, no longer able to see them together. He tried to move but he couldn't.

When Lori opened her eyes she saw Declan. She pushed Mark away from her. Something inside her wanted to yell at Mark, to tell him to piss off, then go after Declan to try to explain what he had just witnessed. On the other hand, she wanted to stay in the same place, kissing Mark. Before she could make up her mind how to handle the situation, Declan turned around with a sad look on his face. It was pretty tough to be a high school girl and there was no way she would ever let herself go again. She promised herself that.

When Declan got home all he wanted was to get a huge tub of ice cream and to lick his own wounds. The day he had broken up with Lori he had predicted something like this would happen. And here it was: that day he had feared every moment he was not with her.The day Lori finally found someone else.

The doorbell woke him up. He went to down the stairs, not really wanting to see anybody, yet still hoping that Lori would be the one waiting for him outside to tell him that kissing Mark was a mistake and that she wanted to get back with him. The doorbell rang again and when he opened the door a girl jumped into his arms. "You look messy!" she said with a smile on her face.


End file.
